When Jesus healed a man born blind it created huge problems for His enemies: It meant that Jesus actually had the power to heal people! When they could no longer deny the fact of the miracle, they rejected its obvious significance and attacked the former blind man:
The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight . . .And they reviled him, saying, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. . . . Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
John 9:28–33
Later after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead they faced the same problem:When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
John 12:9–11
The miracle itself was undeniable, but they rejected its significance.
Later still Jesus’ disciples healed a forty-year old man who had been lame from birth. Once again the enemies of the gospel were faced with the same problem: an undeniable miracle.
“What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” Acts 4:16–17
We scratch our heads in amazement. How could the Jewish leaders face the apostles’ undeniable miracles and yet attempt to silence them? Or how could the crowd who knew that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead cry out for Jesus to be crucified?
Their behavior is irrational, but there is an explanation. Centuries earlier God had explained to the prophet Ezekiel:
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house [of Israel], who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. Ezekiel 12:2
And that is the root cause! It’s not in their thinking; it’s in their heart.
Ah! This all makes sense to me, and I smugly think, “I’m a Christian. My heart is different,” until I remember the exhortation that was written to Christians:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Hebrews 3:15–17
Do I hear God warning or correcting me, and yet refuse to hear? Do I see God’s hand directing my path and yet refuse to see? Believer or not, none of us is immune to the disease of a rebellious heart.
